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Flagler dog park to remain closed all week

A temporary sign is posted at the entrance to the dog area at Wadsworth Park in Flagler Beach and the gate was padlocked after a local veterinarian reported a dog that had visited the park recently had contracted the highly contagious parvovirus.

News-Journal / Julie Murphy

JULIE MURPHYSTAFF WRITER

Published: Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 4:04 p.m.

FLAGLER BEACH — The good news is that the dog area at Wadsworth Park will probably reopen sooner rather than later.

The bad news is that the only measure that can be taken to stymie parvovirus is vaccination, officials said Monday.

The dog park at Wadsworth was closed late Friday in "an abundance of caution" to allow the county time to determine whether the park is contaminated with canine parvovirus. And the answer is probably yes, but according to University of Florida veterinarian Dr. Cynda Crawford, the answer is probably yes anywhere dogs congregate.

"Parvovirus is one of the most durable viruses known to man and persists in the environment for years, even soil and grass," Crawford said in a written statement. "Because it is so durable in the environment, exposure to parvovirus is very common and virtually inevitable in places where dogs have defecated. Since the exposure risk is high in places commonly frequented by dogs, the best practice is to ensure that dogs are properly vaccinated against parvovirus."

An area veterinarian contacted Flagler County last week to advise that a dog in his care had contracted the virus and had visited Wadsworth Park the day before it was diagnosed, Flagler County spokesman Carl Laundrie said Friday after officials closed the park.

Since then, park officials have cleaned the area, removing any dog droppings, and sprayed the area with a bleach product designed to remove the virus. The dog park will remain closed this week for additional maintenance, Laundrie said.

Signs at the park say it is closed until further notice, along with permanent warning signs that dogs should be vaccinated and that it is a "use at your own risk" area.

Bleach is the only thing that will kill the virus, but it is ineffective for porous surfaces, Crawford said.

"In other words, it will not kill parvovirus in soil," Crawford said.

Crawford wrote that testing is expensive and only performed by laboratories "proficient in extraction of potential virus."

"In addition, how would one know what soil to sample and how many areas to sample?" she said.

Tyler Stover, spokesman for Halifax Humane Society in Daytona Beach, said there has been no reported outbreak of parvovirus in Volusia County.

"We come across it on occasion," he said by phone on Monday. "We do not offer a shot clinic, but we always recommend that pet owners vaccinate."

Bed & Biscuit, which has a private dog park in addition to a kennel and doggie swimming facility on John Anderson Highway, has closed its dog park temporarily.

"We closed it for routine maintenance, to cut trees back and things like that," said owner Rosemary McDaniel. "The timing was good, though, because I wanted to see what was going on at Wadsworth."

McDaniel said in the past she has not been diligent about checking vaccination records for those who come just to use the dog park area, but that will change in the future.

"I've been letting people use it for free, but that might change when I reopen," she said. "I want to check for vaccinations and not take any risks."

Several Palm Coast residents attended the April 2 City Council meeting to complain about conditions at the dog park at the James F. Holland Memorial Park.

"I think six people came up together during public comment," said Palm Coast spokeswoman Cyndi Brownfield. "They complained that the dog park doesn't have good grass, and when they (dogs) run around, it kicks up the dust."

Brownfield said one safety issue was mentioned — a big drop-off step — and that is being addressed.

"Anything that is a safety concern is addressed right away," she said.

The grass problem won't be as easy to resolve, Brownfield said.

"The park poses a problem for irrigation, and the well water there isn't the quality for the grass to grow well," she said. "There was a result, though. Eventually we would like to build another dog park, but there isn't the money for it right now."

City Manager Jim Landon said the water at Holland has a high salt content. A project is planned this fiscal year to extend the "reuse" water, which won't have such a high salt content, to the park for irrigation.

"We have plans to renovate the entire park, but it's been delayed (because of the economy)," Landon said. "That will include upgrading the dog park."

Also in down-the-road planning is a proposal for the city to add a dog park near the fire station on Belle Terre Parkway.

"The economy has picked up," Landon said. "It just needs to pick up a little more."

Becky Riggs of Flagler Beach and her dog took advantage of the dog park at Holland on Monday because Wadsworth and the Bed & Biscuit "bark park" were closed.

"We vaccinate all our animals," she said, "but there are so many people who don't."

Palm Coast resident Tyler Scinto doesn't mind the dust at the park.

"My dog, Roxy, likes it and that's all that matters," he said.

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